The Price of Justice
by Canadian-Parade
Summary: Dreams can be wonderful things, but nightmares are always more powerful. When Alfred learns that he and his brother possesses superhuman powers, he is beyond excited. However, super villains, kidnappings and the potential end of the world puts a bit of a damper on it. Somehow, he must unite with the others to save both the world and his brother.
1. Chapter 1

Dreams can be wonderful things. Your brain tears apart your memories and feelings, and then puts it all back together again like a mismatched puzzle. You can see and do anything, weather it makes sense or not. You could rule the world or become a superhero or live on an island filled only with puppies. But you could also fall off of a mountain and spend hours waiting to hit the ground. You could be chased through tight corridors by the monsters that live in your head. You might fail a test or drown in thick mud or become paralyzed with fear, unable to move or breath.  
For every one of your wildest dreams, there is a nightmare lurking in the shadows of your own mind, waiting to attack.  
Sometimes though, the dreams become more than just a fantasy. Sometimes they leak out into the real world, through pictures or stories or actions. The man in the mist, the one who controls the dreams, knows this better than anyone. He can see when one boy's worst nightmare is about to come true and tries to stop it anyway he can. Sometimes though, dreaming isn't enough.

Dreams can be wonderful things, but nightmares are always more powerful.

 _"Why won't you show me your face?" Alfred asked the man._

 _Mist covered the ground and curled around his feet. It wrapped itself around the stranger, obscuring his face._

 _"I can't." The man said. "They can't know. Now you must run."_

 _"You can't expect me to get up and go just because some guy in a dream told me to." Alfred said._

 _"I can't make you leave but for your own safety, and your brothers you must—"_

 _"Wait, what does Matthew have to do with this?"_

As the morning sun shone through the window, Alfred stretched his arms high and groaned. It had been the same dream as always. Dust floated through the air, illuminated by the early sunbeams. He rolled over in bed and saw his brother sleeping across the room. His eyes were scrunched up tight, deepening his laugh lines.

"Hey Mattie, GET UP!" Alfred shouted.

Matthew jolted up. Flailing his arms and kicking at his sheets, he tumbled to the ground. Alfred laughed, watching as Matthew, covered in blankets, grumbled and sat up.

"Morning bro." Alfred grinned. Matthew glared at him and didn't answer. He could be grouchy when Alfred woke him up but it was just so much fun, Alfred couldn't resist. Throwing off his blankets, he sat up and leaned his head against the wall beside him. As Matthew untangled himself from the mess of red and white sheets, Alfred quietly said,

"I dreamed about him again Matthew."

He saw a flicker of disbelief on Matthew's face. It was quickly replaced by concern when he replied,

"What did he say this time?"

Alfred sighed. Explicit details of his dream were already slipping away like sand falling through his fingers. The man's face became blurry and obscured with fog, although Alfred clearly remembered the man's thick accent. Floating around in his head were words. Mixed up, strung together in one order and, when that didn't sound right, taken apart and rearranged again.

"I don't remember most of it. He was really worried about something though. And he said that he'd be coming soon."

"Coming where?" Matthew asked.

"I don't know," He replied. "But it didn't feel good talking about it."

Alfred could remember how he felt in the dream. His stomach churned like the ocean during a storm at the man's words. As interested in the mystery man as he was, Alfred didn't trust him.

"Alfred, is it me or did the room just get really cold?"

Alfred looked over and saw that Matthew had wrapped a large blanket around himself. A moment later a gust of wind blew in from seemingly nowhere. Quickly, it sent goosebumps up Alfred's arms and icy pins stabbing his skin. It chilled him to the bone. He rubbed his arms and blew warm breath onto his hands.

"How can it be this cold?" Alfred asked between clenched teeth.

A quick glance at the calendar hanging on the wall confirmed his hazy morning thoughts. Although it felt like January in their room, it was early summer. June 5th. It had also happened so suddenly, Alfred noticed as he rubbed his arms more viciously.

"This is so weird."

Matthew nodded. Then their room exploded.

A deafening roar hit Alfred with the force of an asteroid. He was knocked off the bed, hitting the ground hard with his hands. When he sucked in a breath his lungs burned. Smoke filled the room and clouded his vision. Hastily, he scrambled to grab his glasses. As his fingers clasped around them Alfred sighed in relief. One lense had a long crack down the middle but other than that they were fine. Shoving them on, he turned his head to find Matthew. Scanning the room, he ignored the ringing in his ears and the taste of blood in his mouth.

Flames devoured his brothers bed and licked the scorched walls. He saw shattered pieces of glass littering the floor near the window. The blast must have come from outside, he thought. Some of the shards had hit him, he could feel the stinging sensation in his hands. When he looked up, he saw that the bedroom door stood ajar, unhinged but still standing. As another blast rocked the room, Alfred screamed,

"Matthew!"

The ground shook and he was tossed into the wall like a ragdoll. He coughed, desperately sucking in the poisoned air. With ever breath his lungs rattled. Shakily, he grabbed an overturned chair and pulled himself to his feet. He could feel his eyes watering and his throat burn from his rapid breathing combined with the smoky air. Hissing and yanking his hand back when it got too close to one of the open flames, Alfred stumbled to Matthews bed.

"Mattie?"

It came out less as a call. More of a scratchy whisper. The ringing in his ears was louder now, drowning everything else out. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of blond hair. Twisting around he saw Matthew lying on the ground. Blood dripped down his face from a gaping wound on his forehead. He was pinned underneath the desk that had been knocked over during the second blast. At first glance Alfred thought it had crushed his brother. Hesitantly, he looked closer, eyes wide and stomach churning.

He could see Matthew's chest rising and falling ever so slowly. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

As he made his way to help him, Alfred tripped and collapsed to the floor. For a moment he didn't move. He sucked air in through his teeth. Getting onto his hands and knees, he crawled, trembling, to Matthew's side. His hands shook as he pressed his hands to Matthew's forehead. The excessive amount of blood made it slippery. For a moment Alfred thought he was going to be sick.

 _This can't be happening._

His head spun. He didn't know what to do. Heart pounding rapidly against his chest, he took his brother's hand and squeezed it. Matthew didn't respond. Alfred's stomach twisted. Staring at his brother, he desperately trying to think of a way to help. He could barely stay conscious, much less stand up and go for help. Pushing on his head wound wouldn't do anything if he was crushed beneath the desk.

As the gears in his head turned, Matthew disappeared.

Alfred jolted back, dropping Matthews hand. The desk that laid on his brother was propped up on what looked like empty space. It reminded him of the ghosts stories he and Matthew would tell each other when they were younger. Hesitantly, reached out and gasped when he felt the thin folds of Matthews sleeve. He was still there, Alfred marveled. He was just invisible.

Just as suddenly as Matthew disappeared, he flickered back into view. Alfred stared in amazement. He watched as Matthew opened his eyes and groaned loudly. Smudges of smoke looked like bruises on his cheeks. He blinked, a dazed expression on his face, before asking,  
"Alfred? What happened?

"Mattie," Alfred's face split into a grin. "Don't look down bro, just close your eyes."  
Matthew compiled. Alfred didn't want him to see the desk on top of him. If his brother started freaking out he wasn't sure how he would have handled that. Hopefully he didn't disappear again either.

"Alfred what's going on? Every—everything hurts." He whimpered.

"It's okay Mattie. Just wait." Alfred said.

Matthews face contorted in pain. Alfred hated seeing his brother hurt, he clenched his fists at the thought of whoever did this. He knew he had to get that damn desk off him first. It was heavy though, Alfred remembered when he and Matthew firsted moved in together they had needed three people to move it. While Alfred was always ready to admit to his strength, even he knew he couldn't lift it alone. There wasn't much time though.

 _Any minute now they could launch another explosive,_ he thought, _None of them made it right into our room so far but it could next time._

The bitter taste of smoke grew stronger in his mouth. Crackling, angry flames crawled closer, heating up the tiny bedroom. Alfred wiped his brow and pulled himself up. His legs quivered with effort but he took a deep breath. Gripping the underside of the desk with sweaty palms, Alfred crouched down and heaved upwards. He expected to be met with a heavy resistance, he didn't even really expect to be able to lift it. However, as soon as he began to pull, the desk flew up. Narrowly missing the window, it hit the wall with a thundering crashed.

Alfred stared, astonished, at the new crater in their wall. _Well,_ he mused, _this is new._

"Alfred what was that?"  
As he looked down he saw that Matthew's eyes were wide open. Before Alfred had a chance to come up with some sort of explanation, Matthew let out an ear splitting scream. Then he noticed his brother's legs. Alfred choked. They were bloody and mangled, white stuff that Alfred knew had to be bone stuck up at odd angles.

This was much worse than a gash in his head.

Matthew groaned in agony, trying to push himself up again. Alfred put a hand on his shoulder and said firmly,

"Don't try to sit up."

He pushed gently and Matthew laid back down. He was panting heavily, his face drained of colour underneath the smudged layer of smoke and blood. With a groan, his eyes fluttered shut, his arms went slack and he fell unconscious, Alfred bit his lip. There had to he something he could do for Matthew.

"Please be okay." He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

From the corner of his eye Alfred spotted a figure obscured by smoke and debris. He broke into a smile. A firefighter or a medic. It had to be. Turning around, he watched a young man with blond hair and a single curl near the bottom of his head enter the room. He walked slowly, hunched over and looking at the ground. His face was devoid of emotion. Like he couldn't care less what happened to anyone, Alfred decided.

"Hey!" He tried to shout but broke into a fit of coughing. It felt like nails were raking down his throat. "We're over here," Waving his arms around in the air, he called again for the man's attention.

When he turned towards the two brothers, the man's expression darkened. Alfred's smile fell. He knew that man. Lukas, that was his name. But he didn't know how he knew. All he knew was that he wasn't here to help. He was about to call to Lukas again but was interrupted.

"You're here. You're still alive." Lukas whispered, shaking his head. "Well one of you anyway." He added, glancing to Matthew.

Glaring daggers at the man, Alfred could feel his rage rising inside him. Like a tidal wave, it threatened to crash over him. This was his brother the guy was talking about. Matthew wasn't going to die, not yet.

"What a shame." Lukas turned away from Alfred. Raising his voice, he called out, "Come in. Only one of them is still alive."

Before he was even done speaking another man was already bounding into the room. A shiny smile was stretched across his face and he was significantly smaller than Lukas. When he saw Alfred and Matthew on the floor his smile widened and he said,

"Oh good. We got one."

He was closely followed by another man. His hair was spiked up and he walked with an air of confidence. _Like he owned the very ground he walked on,_ thought Alfred.

As they came in, carelessly sidestepping the smoking rubble that littered the room, Alfred's head felt fuzzy. Those people were here to kill him. They thought they killed Matthew. But why? Although his knees were weak and his ears still buzzed faintly, he wanted nothing more than to attack them. Throw them across the room like he had with the desk.

He wanted to make them pay for his brother's suffering.

"Why aren't they dead Lukas?" Asked the confident man.

"What are you doing here Tino?" Lukas ignored him and directed his question to the smaller one. Alfred made a mental note of the name. The man named Tino grinned cheerfully when he replied,

"I thought I'd tag along, right Mathias? I wanted to see the new guys before you finished them off."

"If you're here, who's guarding the base?" Lukas never raised his voice, Alfred noticed, but his tone changed slightly.

"Berwald and Emil will be okay for a little while."

 _Berwald. Emil. Tino. Mathias. And Lukas. They were the people responsible for this._

"But you were supposed to—"

"Lukas," The confident one, Mathias, interrupted him, gesturing to Alfred. "Why is he still alive?"

"I guess the rest of the bombs didn't go off." Lukas replied, reverting back to his monotone voice. Tino shot him a suspicious look.

"Oh well," Mathias took a step towards Alfred with a wolfish smile. "We can take care of that now."

Alfred scrambled back. Matthew laid beside him, his breathing as shallow as a puddle. For a moment he was glad that his brother wasn't awake. As long as a he stayed unaware, Lukas and the others wouldn't touch him.

Gradually, he could feel the heat from the fire lessening the father he crawled. Mathias stepped casually over Matthew. Alfred gritted his teeth. Ignoring buzzing in his head and the black spots floating in the corner of his vision, he pulled himself up.

His legs quivered. Searing pain shot through him. Red, blistering skin peered out from underneath his blackened sleeves. As Mathias approached him, Alfred felt his heart thudding. The feral smile Mathias wore reminded him of a wild animal. A leopard stalking it's prey.

"What's your name kid?"

"Go away!"

"Oh come on, don't be like that."

From out of nowhere, a flash of harsh red light blinded him. As he blinked, he saw that Mathias now held an axe. It was bigger than Alfred. The blade shone, and was obviously polished and sharpened often.

For a moment all Alfred could think was, _Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit._ He took another step back and almost tripped. Glancing down, he saw the desk he had hurled off of Matthew. Immediately, sparks flew. He had an idea.

Keeping a careful eye on Matthias and his axe, Alfred reached down and lifted the desk up. Pushing it effortlessly above his head, he glared daggers at the three attackers. Daring them to come closer. He still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he now appeared to have super strength. Although he knew how heavy the desk really was, it felt like it could have been made of styrofoam. It did hurt though, the rough wood irritated his cut up hands.

"Get back." He demanded.

"Make me." Snarled Mathias, taking a step. Alfred held his ground.

"Do you need any help?" Tino hadn't moved since he first waltzed in, Alfred saw. Lukas on the other hand, was leaning against an unburnt part of the wall. His face was stoic as he examined his fingertips. Mathias shook his head, keeping that wild grin stretched across his face.

"No, this will be easy. I doubt this kids ever used his powers before."

"Well you should hurry up. We don't want to be late."

For a moment Alfred thought he was going to argue. Then, as Tino clenched his hands, Mathias nodded.

"You're right." He turned back to Alfred. "Let's do this."

Alfred's breath caught in his throat. He had to make the first move. He had to do something. With his heart threatening to burst out of his chest, he heaved the desk at Mathias. The axe wielding maniac jumped out of the way, easily avoiding it. Holding his weapon high, he charged. Instinctively, Alfred lunged at him. The unexpected move threw Mathias off. Alfred took advantage of his hesitation and grabbed for the axe.

As soon as his fingers closed around the wooden handle, it pulsed a deep blood red. Alfred's hands suddenly felt like they were gripping searing hot metal. He cried out and ripped his hands away. Blisters had appeared on his palms. Laughing, Mathias stood up.

"No one touches my axe but me."

Alfred barely had time to register what was happening when Mathias swung the axe at him. He ducked and stumbled back. Grabbing whatever was closest to him, a chair, he hurled it at Mathias. Again, he sidestepped it with ease. Alfred turned and ran. Flames nipped at his ankles as he jumped over the wreckage. His glasses were askew, just barely hanging on.

Mathias thundered behind him. Alfred turned just in time to see Mathias trip. His foot caught on a piece of debris and he went tumbling to the ground. Before he had time to feel even slightly relieved, a hand shot out and grabbed his ankle. It yanked hard and he went sprawling across the floor. Before he could scramble to his feet, Mathias was on top of him, pinning him down. His axe lay discarded a few feet away.

Mathias suddenly stood up, keeping one hand pointed at Alfred. For a moment he was confused. When he tried to sit up, his confusion morphed into panic. As he struggled to move, the ground seemed to slip out from under him. His breath came in short, rapid gasps. At first he thought that he had fallen through the floor. When Alfred saw that he wasn't moving, he gasped. He was floating,

"Levitation is a really useful power, especially for times like these." Mathias said, smirking.

Keeping his hand outstretched, he slowly backed up and grabbed his axe.

"Wait! Why the hell are you doing this?" Alfred cried. He felt helpless and overwhelmed. Although he tried to struggle and squirm, he was trapped. His stomach churned and with nothing left to lose, he tried to stall.

"What did we ever do to you?"  
Mathias didn't answer. Instead he lifted the axe up. Alfred's muscles tensed. He clenched his fists, which was about as much movement as he could manage. As he swung it down, Alfred wanted to scream. He wanted to yell and plead and curse but his voice was stuck, a lump in his throat. He didn't even know if Matthew was still alive. Knowing that his brother was bleeding out, alone and probably in pain only a few feet away killed Alfred.

He closed his eyes as the blade descended and everything disappeared.

There was no pain. No blinding light. No grim reaper. When he heard a frustrated cry, Alfred realized it was because he was in fact, not dead.

Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. Immediately, he was greeted with the sharpened weapon less than an inch from his face. If he hadn't been flooded with an alarming mixture of terror and relief, he would have screamed. Still in front of him, was Mathias. His face was contorted in rage as Alfred watched him pull at his axe. It was hanging in the air like it was frozen in time.

"Step away from him Mathias."

Alfred looked past the axe and saw a young blond guy standing in the doorway. The man had a british accent, he noticed. His arms were outstretched his hand out like he was holding something. For a moment he was confused. Then the man made a throwing motion and the axe flew across the room and buried itself in the wall.

"Arthur."

Alfred was surprised when Lukas spoke up. He was almost forgotten that he and Tino were in the room. When Arthur walked, Tino lunged at him. Alfred started to warn him but there was no need. Another man, this one built like a house, came into the room. Grabbing Tino, he shoved him into the wall. Tino fell to the ground and glared up at him.

"And Ivan." Lukas didn't appear concerned at the appearance of the two. Mathias on the other hand, did. The exhilarated smile he wore before had vanished. In its place was a snarl.

" Lukas, Tino, take care of them."

Tino seemed ready to oblige. He stood up eagerly and clasped his hands together. After a moment, a second, identical version of Tino appeared beside him. Ivan rushed at him, knocking him to the ground again with a swift blow to the jaw. When he got up however, Tino didn't move. As Alfred squinted, he saw that he had taken on a light blue shine. Ice crystals dotted his cheeks and Alfred realized with a jolt that he was frozen.

At this point Alfred decided to skip over any panicked thoughts that doubted his sanity. This wasn't a dream, it wasn't a hallucination, this was real. He was seeing real life superheroes and supervillains. When Matthew woke up he was going to get a face full of 'I Told You So.' That is, _if_ he woke up, Alfred thought frowning.

While Ivan fought the second Tino (who didn't appear to have the original's powers to replicate himself) Arthur was occupied with Lukas. He would push his hands out, like he was shoving something forward, then Lukas would jump impossibly high and out of reach. Alfred watched in awe. When Lukas landed, Arthur sprang up and tackled him to the ground. With one hand, he grabbed Lukas by the throat. The effect was instantaneous.

Lukas jerked away. Thrashing and screaming in pain he desperately clawed at the fingers wrapped around his neck. Mathias whipped around at the sound and cried,

"NO!"

Forgetting Alfred, Mathias ran to Arthur and Lukas. Alfred crumpled to the floor, hitting his head and then his back. He groaned and tried to stand up. The world spun, twisting and turning before his eyes. He dropped to the ground again. Groaning, he watched as Arthur lifted Lukas, withering in pain, and threw him across the room. Another cry of pain escaped him as he hit the desk and sunk to the ground. Immediately, Mathias threw himself at Arthur, punching and clawing.

Ivan and Tino continued to fight on the far side of the room. Wielding a chair like a shield, Tino darted out of the other man's reach. Fury was etched into his face.

As the world came into focus again, Alfred slowly got to his feet. Leaning against the wall, he gritted his teeth. Quickly scanning the room, he sighed with relief when he saw Matthew. Deep breathes. In and out. He took one step. Then another. Another. He swayed on his feet. A faint buzzing still crowded his ears. The black spots that floated lazily across his vision grew. He had to get to Matthew.

As he slowly made his way to his brother, the crunch of footsteps came from behind him. He jolted around and saw Lukas prowling towards Arthur and Mathias. Blood flowed down his face from a gash on his head. Although Alfred noticed he was limping, he didn't seem deterred. Stretching out his hands, Lukas ran at Arthur. Alfred didn't think about it. He didn't have time.

It was pure impulse when he dashed to Lukas on his less than reliable legs and tackled him.

Viciously punching anything he could reach, he heard Lukas curse loudly. Grabbing Lukas's wrists, he twisted around, pinning him down. Before he could figure out what he was supposed to do next, the lack spots in his vision started to grow. The British guy was yelling something but everything sounded like he was under water. Lukas was still struggling to get away. As his legs flailed around and he tried to yank his arms away, Alfred felt his grip getting weaker.

Lukas gave a final push up and he tumbled off, smacking his head on the floor. He tried to get back up but his legs might as well have been made of lead. Alfred closed his eyes and let the darkness eat away at the remaining light. Silence filled him as an inky black ocean stretched out, covering the world.

Without a second thought, he jumped and plummeted into the void. Through the darkness, he began to dream.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hurry Feliciano."

"I'm doing my best. Please don't rush me!"

"He's been unconscious for over an hour—"

"And he's going to be fine."

"I sure hope so."

Muffled voices bounced around Alfred's skull. Faces and memories floated aimlessly in front of him, dull colours melting in with the black that surrounded him. Blood pounded in his ears and his head ached.

"I tried to warn you. Why didn't you listen to me?"

That voice. The man from his dreams. Alfred tried to speak but nothing came out. When he tried again, he felt a lump in his throat blocking the words. Frustration surged through him.

"It's too late now." The voice continued. "I thought I could save you but it wasn't enough."

Alfred was bursting with questions. At last he could make out what the voice was saying. The downside was that he couldn't talk back. He had tried to warn him about Mathias, that much was obvious. How did he know though?

"I wish I could help you now but he is watching me."

Why hadn't he shown up when his dream method didn't work? More importantly, who was this guy? In all the times he'd talked to Alfred he'd never shown his face. It was one of the reasons he hadn't trusted the man at first. Alfred knew he wasn't a patient person but he felt like he could have burst with questions.

"I'm sorry."

Bright lights flooded his vision. Blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted, he heard voices growing louder.

"He's awake!" An unfamiliar voice exclaimed.

"I noticed." The British man said.

Alfred blinked hard again and jolted when he saw the joyful face looming over him. A wide smile decorated the man's face and he noticed a single stray curl sticking out. Alfred tried to sit up but when he moved a sharp pain shot through him. Grunting, he laid back down.

"Oh, just wait one minute."

Alfred knew he wasn't in much of a position to argue so when the man leaned farther over him and placed one hand over his forehead, he didn't resist. His gaze wandered to the other two.

Ivan stood behind the man with the curl. Smiling politely, he held his hands behind his back and was discussing something with Arthur. He stood beside Ivan, arms crossed and scowling. It looked to Alfred like they were arguing.

"I told you not to go ahead. We agreed—"

Arthur was cut off when Ivan said,

"I waited once I got there. If you were not so late..."

"Like hell! It wasn't my fault that Feliciano fell asleep in the kitchen again." Arthur snapped, gesturing to the man beside Alfred. "I had to find him."

"You did not think to ask Ludwig?"

"He was busy."

As they argued Feliciano smiled at Alfred and said,

"Don't mind them. Those two fight all the time. Arthur fights with everybody. He fights with Ivan, with Francis, YaoLudwigGilbert, everybody!"

The cheerful man's words went in one ear and out the other.

"What– What's going on?" He groaned. "Who were those guys? Why were they here— wait, who are you? And what happened!"

Alfred thought his voice sounded strange, like he was hearing himself through a tunnel. The man's grin faded at the question. He took out a long bandage and bussied himself by wrapping up Alfred's wrist.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Alfred."

"Well Alfred, when you tackled Lukas you touched his hands—or his wrists I guess—which wasn't a very smart move. Lukas only has to touch someone with his hands to put them to sleep. It's his regular power."

Regular power?

"Wha—where did they go?"

Alfred's hopes that the three villains had been defeated were crushed when Feliciano explained.

"Well, they got away. Ivan froze Tino's double but then the original Tino broke through the ice and started to attack—"

"Are they going to come back?" Alfred interrupted.

Feliciano but his lip and glanced at the open window behind him. "Maybe... Probably. Yes. But as soon as your fixed up we'll be safe because we're going back to our secret base."

The way he said it made it sound like it was his secret club house. Alfred loved it. His hazy mind was clearing and his cuts and bruises didn't stung so much.

"There we go." Feliciano muttered to himself. Then, to Alfred, he said with that cheerful smile back on his face,

"Where does it hurt the most?"

"My head." Alfred replied.

Although he felt better, his head still throbbed terribly. It was like someone was pounding hammers against his skull. Feliciano leaned over him again and placed his hand gingerly on Alfred's forehead. A tingling sensation seemed to flow from Feliciano's hand and into his head. It numbed the pain first from his head and then spread to his whole body.

Alfred let out a sigh. His entire body was numb of pain, as well as everything else, and it felt great. Feliciano kept his hand there for a few more seconds, humming a song that Alfred had never heard contently. When he took his hand away, everything came back and zapped Alfred out of his relaxed state. Jolting up, Alfred winced. He expected all the pain to come rushing back but it didn't.

Sitting all the way up, he glanced over his body. The burns on his ankles and arms were gone. So were the cuts from the glass and the bruises. His head didn't even hurt. He looked back at Feliciano, who was beaming as he put his bandages back in a purple backpack beside him.

"That feels better doesn't it."

Alfred nodded gratefully. "Oh yeah, thanks."

Feliciano broke into a grin and turned to Arthur and Ivan. They were still arguing over something.

"We're all ready to go."

As Feliciano slung his backpack on, Arthur went up to Alfred and offered his hand. Alfred accepted.

"Kiku should be here any minute now."

Alfred stole a look at the still smoking doorway and shuddered. As he stood up, he noticed that Arthur wore dark green gloves over both hands. He was about to ask about them when something caught his eye. Matthew.

His brothers old, stupid stuffed bear lay on the floor, completely untouched. How the hell that happened, Alfred couldn't imagine. He scanned the room and felt his stomach twist when he didn't see his brother.

"Where's Matthew?" He asked Arthur. "Where's my brother?"

Arthur didn't glance awkwardly at his shoes or try to hide the truth. He didn't offer Alfred condescending pity or fake sympathy.

"We don't know."

It was straight up, no beating around the bush. For that, Alfred was thankful. However, he was also furious.

"What do you mean you don't know? We need to find him. He's hurt really badly and he needs help now. Mathias could have taken him for all we know."

"Mathias does not have him I assure you." Ivan said.

Alfred frowned. "How do you know"

"Because Arthur threw him out of the window."

Alfred spun around and gaped at Arthur.

"You threw him out the window!"

Arthur nodded. Alfred couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face.

"Your brother has to be here somewhere." Feliciano said.

"You're right." Alfred nodded. "I need to find him."

An image of Matthew sprawled out across the floor, entered his mind. Carefully avoiding anything that was still smoking, Alfred walked around the room, peering under overturned furniture and scanning the room for his movement. Feliciano walked with him, encouraging and helping him to look. Arthur stood to the side, whispering with Ivan. Occasionally, Alfred noticed, he would glance his way. After several minutes of searching, Alfred approached Ivan and Arthur.

"How did you know where me and Mattie were?" He asked.

"I have the ability to sense where others with powers are." Ivan explained.

"Powers?" Alfred thought back to when he threw the desk off Matthew, and when his brother disappeared.

"You know," Arthur said. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

Alfred smiled. Despite the worry that was infecting him, he was excited as well. He was talking to a real life superhero! And he was a hero too, although he didn't know it before.

"If you can tell where heroes are, can't you feel where Matthew is?"

Ivan shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not too specific. It took me days to narrow down which house was yours."

Alfred's smile dropped and he looked down at his bare feet.

"He is here, somewhere." Ivan added. "He's still alive."

Alfred turned his gaze back up and was about to thank him when he was interrupted. A loud pop came from the far side of what was left of the room. It reminded Alfred of the time when he was little and blew too much air into a balloon. It broke and the loud pop made him and Matthew burst into tears. Alfred whipped around and saw someone standing in the corner of the room.

Beside him, Feliciano broke into a grin. Alfred watched him freeze when he realized that there was smoke billowing up from where the man appeared. His short black hair was singed and embers clung to his shirt. He coughed and fell to his knees. Ashes coated the ground around him. Feliciano dashed to him but tripped and skidded across the floor.

"Kiku!" Arthur exclaimed. Alfred was distracted when he noticed something flickering into view where Feliciano had fallen.


	4. Chapter 4

"Matthew." He whispered, running up to his brother. Feliciano jumped up but Alfred grabbed his arm.

"Wait, you've got to help my brother."

Feliciano glanced back at Kiku, worry in his eyes. When he turned to Arthur and Ivan and saw that they were going to Kiku's side, he nodded. Tense and nervous, Alfred watched Feliciano place his hand on his brother's forehead and close his eyes. Immediately, a soft blue glow emitted from under his hand and Alfred watched in mute fascination. Feliciano turned to him and said quietly,

"You should go see Kiku."

Normally nothing could have made Alfred leave his brother. Now that he was with Feliciano though, Alfred knew he was safe. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. With the funny and talkative stranger, Matthew would be okay. Standing up, he approached the smoking man. _Kiku._ Arthur was frantically talking, waving his hands through the air and almost smacked Alfred when he approached them.

"But our barriers—"

"They got passed them." Kiku replied, his voice quiet and hoarse. "I do not know how, but they did."

"Can't we hold them off? They've tried this before."

"We're fighting as hard as we can but it will not last long."

Alfred felt his stomach knot up. Something was seriously wrong. Ivan stood quietly to the side, looking deep in thought. Alfred wanted to interject but Ivan spoke up, interrupting Arthur.

"We should be leaving then. Soon."

He glanced at Matthew and Arthur sighed.

"Well we can't just walk on into headquarters. Especially with two inexperienced fighters."

"Where else can we go?" Kiku asked.

"They haven't infiltrated the bunker, have they?"

Kiku cast his eyes down. Alfred felt a pang of sadness for him. He looked tired and sad, even disappointed. In whom though, Alfred didn't know.

"We need to make a decision quickly." Ivan said.

"Oh yes, and I'm sure you've got a bright idea." Arthur snapped.

"We could go to Gilbert."

Whatever Arthur was about to say died on his lips as he considered what Ivan said. His scowl deepened as Kiku nodded, coughing.

"Unfortunately, Ivan is right. Gilbert and his housemates will grant us refuge."

Alfred wondered briefly what Gilbert was like. His thoughts floated through his mind. Nothing was concrete and every idea was fleeting. As his thoughts wandered back to his brother, Alfred glanced back at Matthew's still form. His chest moved sluggishly, like there was still a crushing weight on it. He hated seeing his brother so lifeless.

"Will Gilbert help us fix Mattie?" Alfred asked.

"I doubt it but Feliciano is doing just fine alone." Arthur replied.

At the mention of his name, the healer looked up with a cheerful smile.

"I'm almost finished." He exclaimed. "Just one more..."

He trailed off as he pressed his hands to Matthew's chest. The gentle blue hue returned, cloaking Matthew's entire body in a soft, hazy blanket. Feliciano closed his eyes and looked like he was concentrating deeply. Then he pulled his hands off and the light faded away. Opening his eyes, he leaned over Matthew and whispered gently,

"Hello?"

Alfred could feel happiness filling him up as Matthew began to stir. Arthur and Ivan had started talking again but he ignored them. Dashing forward, he knelt down beside his brother just as his eyes fluttered open. His eyes hazy and clouded with confusion.

"Al-Alfred?" He mumbled.

A blinding smile spread across Alfred's face. He took his brother's hand and squeezed it tight.

"I'm right here man."

Matthew blinked hard and his gaze wandered across the room.

"Did you blow up our room?"

Alfred laughed, relief flooding through him.

"No, it was a bunch of supervillains!"

He launched into an explanation, making sure to capture the intensity and kick ass battle. Feliciano interrupted a few times to correct him but Alfred went on. Long after he had run out of breath, when he was trying to explain their newly found powers, Matthew stopped him.

"I can turn _invisible?_ " He asked, staring in disbelief at Feliciano. He nodded enthusiastically. Matthew turned back to Alfred.

"Hell yeah you can!" Alfred said. "It was so cool." _And really scary,_ he didn't add.

"Arthur and Ivan say that it's probably your regular power." Feliciano said. "Isn't that neat! Mine is healing, like I did with you and Alfred. It sounds like Alfred's is super strength and Arthur can hurt people just by touching them and Ivan can freeze people- isn't that cool- and Kiku can teleport and Ludwig can-."

Before he could continue, Arthur called to them.

"We're leaving now, come on."

Feliciano jumped up and ran while Alfred helped Matthew up. He watched in awe as his brother stood up and started walking. Flashes of Matthews mangled body invaded his mind. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. He wrapped Matthew tightly in a hug, squeezing him as softly as he dared to. He still wasn't used to the whole super strength thing. When he approached Feliciano and the others, Feliciano was talking to Kiku.

"Are you sure you're okay to teleport again?" He asked, concern shining in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"But you're hurt!" Feliciano insisted.

"I'm fine." Kiku repeated gruffly."

"Let me heal you before we go."

"No. We need to leave here now." Kiku grabbed Feliciano's hand. As he reached for Arthur's, Feliciano pulled away.

"I won't go if you don't let me help you."

Kiku's expression didn't change as he snatched Feliciano's hand again and held it tight. He took a small step back and away from Feliciano and the group. Alfred could tell that he didn't like being so close to everyone. Kiku pulled his arms into himself and shifted on his feet, glancing between Arthur, Feliciano and the floor. Feliciano yanked his arm but Kiku gripped it in an iron fist.

"Please don't be difficult." Kiku said.

"But you're hurt Kiku, I-"

"We can't afford to waste any more time. Our friends are loosing." His voice faltered.

There was a pause before Feliciano asked in a quivering voice,

"What about Ludwig?" When Kiku didn't say anything Feliciano persisted. "Is Ludwig okay?"

"Last time I saw him, he was fighting Berwald."

"With who?" He asked. When Kiku didn't answer, his face fell.

"No," Feliciano whispered. "No, he wouldn't do it alone. He knows better than that."

"I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to me." Kiku said. His voice was much softer.

"But you- He should have known," Feliciano frantically tried to pull his hand away again.

"Feliciano please, don't." Ivan said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Kiku is right, we need to be going now."

Feliciano turned desperately to Arthur but he shook his hand and took Kiku's hand. Feliciano sighed, defeated, and let Kiku hold his hand. Alfred felt bad for the guy. He couldn't help but wonder who Ludwig was, but his thoughts were focused on the name Kiku had said. _Berwald_. They mentioned him, Mathias and the others. Whoever Ludwig was, Alfred hoped he was good. If Berwald was half as good as any of the three he'd met, he would be hard to beat.

He was torn from his fretful thoughts as Ivan reached over and offered Alfred his hand. Curious, he took it. Matthew took the other one and Kiku said,

"Hold on tight. Whatever you do, don't let go until I say so."

"Are you going to teleport us somewhere?" Alfred asked.

"Yes. We're going to our headquarters." Kiku replied grimly.

Alfred remembered what they had talked about earlier. The people who attacked him and Matthew were attacking their base. Suddenly, the prospect of teleportation wasn't so exciting. Arthur started to say something when a loud pop drowned him out and everything became a blur of colours. The noise rattled his eardrums and it took all his power not to let go of Matthew's hand. Alfred's entire body felt numb except for a pressure pushing down on his chest. All the air was sucked out of his lungs. Tears stung at his eyes. He tried to move but felt himself frozen. Then, just as quickly as it started, everything stopped.

Alfred blinked rapidly, trying to get the tears out of his eyes. Teleportation was not as fun as it looked in Harry Potter, he thought. The pungent smell of smoke filled him and he choked. He heard the crackle of flames and different voices screaming at each other. A loud crash shook the ground and he felt himself knocked to the ground. Scrapes stung his palms. He pushed himself up onto his knees. Just as his vision began to clear, a scream pierced the air. Alfred felt like he could hear the pain in the voice. Then his heart stopped.

It was Feliciano.


End file.
